Comparing Web 2.0 Music Tools: Slicethepie, Indaba, and ReverbNation
This past week we compared several tools for musicians and music professionals, but each of the applications we looked at provides a unique service, and music professionals, especially bands and musicians, should consider using more than one of the music applications to reap the most benefit from them.
Following the comparison chart of Slicethepie, Indaba, and ReverbNation we’ll compare some of the features of the applications, but if you would like to read a primer, there is our earlier post: Web 2.0 For Musicians and Music Professionals.
| Slicethepie | Indaba | ReverbNation | |
| Upload your music | yes | yes | yes |
| Musician pages | yes | yes | yes |
| Mixing console | no | yes | no |
| Music downloads | no | no | yes |
| Review/rate | yes | yes | yes |
| Invest in artists | yes | no | no |
| Comments | yes | yes | yes |
| Forums | yes | yes | yes |
There are a number of ways for musicians to promote themselves: hiring managers, street teams, and the like, but of all the ways the one with the greatest potential reach and the least cost is via web 2.0. Of the three applications we looked at, ReverbNation gives musicians the greatest range of choices, not only allowing users to post videos and music, but also sell them via ReverbNation’s online store. Slicethepie gives musicians the option to share music and have users invest in the band, but was lacking videos and a chance to sell directly.
Indaba is more likely to suit musicians that want to collaborate, and uses a create-your-own-session feature to link musicians with fellow artists. Slicethepie and ReverbNation did not have this feature. As a promotional tool Indaba is the weakest, designed as it is more for linking small groups than promoting identity.
Fans are likely to enjoy ReverbNation, where sampling, charts, and IMs with music are all included once you register. Recommendations and a search engine for finding local bands helps make ReverbNation a resource for bands and fans alike. Direct involvement with musicians is possible only with Slicethepie, however, where investment, their unique feature, is possible.
Music professionals such as scouts, managers, and labels could use all three of the applications as potential sources of new talent, though as musicians are likely to respond to the wide variety of tools with ReverbNation, so too are music professionals likely to enjoy the variety of searching, charts, and management tools. As mentioned before Slicethepie has investment tools, which might be helpful, though it is unlikely that labels will want to share control with Slicethepie.
The downside to the applications is that none of them does everything (though ReverbNation comes close) - which highlights something musicians will learn as they use the tools web 2.0 offers - the more applications you can put your identity into, the greater reach you’ll have.
Overall, ReverbNation offered the most for fans and music professionals alike, but Slicethepie’s music sharing and investment, and Indaba’s collaborative tools can be a value to any musician, band, or music professional looking to get more out of the web. To find this or other applications like it, there is the Listio search: music+business.
Previously in this series: ReverbNation: Identity Platform For Musicians
Application: ReverbNationListio Profile: http://www.listio.com/web20/app/ReverbNation/
Website: http://www.reverbnation.com
Application: IndabamusicListio Profile: http://www.listio.com/web20/app/Indabamusic/
Website: http://www.indabamusic.com
Application: SliceThePieListio Profile: http://www.listio.com/web20/app/SliceThePie/
Website: http://www.slicethepie.com
New to Listio? Our tag cloud search offers an easy way to narrow your hunt for the perfect web application or service. No more second guessing of search terms. Just click on one tag, then as many more as you'd like to narrow your search results. It's easy and ensures you get to the listing you want. Finding web 2.0 was never so easy.
Tags: business, discover, music, promote, share
Posted in: Music Tools, Product Comparisons | Respond
Bookmark & Share: 
February 18th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Hey Guys,
Nice summary- I think you hit on a lot of the key points. My only concern is that this article presents this products as competitors when indeed they each serve very different purposes for musicians. Indaba is all about collaboration and music creation (see their in-browser audio editing tool). All of Indaba’s features are artist facing and there is little to no utility for fans. Reverb Nation is about promotion and the Artist-Fan interface- focusing on promotion and fan-management tools (largely through a series of clever viral widgets). Slice the pie is clearly geared toward creating an open market for individuals to invest in independent artists. While their overlaps / competitive features are worth noting, I think you guys missed the boat by not highlighting all the features that make these sites different and symbiotic.
March 11th, 2009 at 6:07 am
here’s another music 2.0 site that promises to deliver even more than we’ve seen before. a mix of digital sales of music that artists upload themselves and a social platform. they’re operating in closed beta only but plan to open on May 1st.
check it out for yourself.
http://www.gogoyoko.com
http://www.blog.gogoyoko.com